Hey, Family!

I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for listening to yesterday’s episode. I hope our little talk about shining helped your day.

I have another layer to add – what you say to yourself while you’re going through the process.

Once upon a time, I ruminated religiously on one phrase. I would repeat it over and over again when something bad happened. “Of course this happened. This stuff always happens to me.”

And I truly felt that way. I kept looking over my shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I kept bracing myself for impact. Anything to knock me off my joy and my axis.

Car trouble. Health issue. Misunderstanding. Crappy service. Spilled drink.

Any negative situation had the same weight – heavy. One thing could frustrate me at any time because it felt like I was always on guard. I wasn’t walking around angry; I was walking wounded and full of bad expectations. It was exhausting and I grew wearing walking around with a looming cloud over my head.

I didn’t speak life to my situations because I didn’t think vitality was possible. Then, I finally understood that my spirit was hearing everything that flowed from my lips. My words were driving the ship through the storm. I could either rest or stress. When I repeated that toxic phrase of gloom, I was reverberating stress through my body. Yes, I may have felt that way, but I didn’t have to make it my tune. It didn’t have to be my soundtrack.

When you’re being shined through rough experiences, pay attention to what you say. There’s a difference between speaking facts and speaking TRUTH. Yes, you may have a certain amount in the bank, but stop saying you’re broke. You may not have someone else’s features, but stop saying you’re ugly or “built wrong.” God’s breath is in your lungs, so your words can germinate life or death… and you have more life to live. More life to enjoy. More life to explore.

That’s the beauty of the shining process. It reveals the beauty beneath the surface. The negative things will happen to you, but they are not you. 

Say good things about yourself. Speak life-giving words into you and into situations around you. Breathe goodness back into your spirit. You’re worth it.

If you’re in the thick of it right now, I’m praying for you. I hope you had a good day, but if you didn’t, it just got better. Thanks for listening.

Peace & Love y’all. See you tomorrow.

CJW

An audio version of this blog is on my podcast. It’s less than 5 minutes – perfect for a quick encouragement. Consider sending the link to someone who could use a lift today. Thanks!